Current Music: Dance with the Dead
Post by: Jessica
A few days back, I was out browsing new and used video stores looking for a deal on an elusive horror movie or one on my list to obtain, when I found a new copy of the recent film Winchester. This films stars Helen Mirren as the infamous Sarah Winchester and centers itself around the home she built to trap the restless spirits who were victims of her family’s invention, the Winchester rifle. This is a real mansion located in San Jose, California and one of the most haunted places in America. It was cheap and on bluray, so I picked it up. I always enjoy a good haunted house film and had high hopes for this one. Sadly I was disappointed. I will not go into a review about the film as this is not what this post is going to be about, however, down the road, I will share with you all my top 10 paranormal/haunted house movies when the time is right.
What I will be talking about today is why I am always drawn to pick up haunted house or paranormal encounters both as films or novels. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, I go by the handle SpectralJess, if that is not any indication as to what I am drawn to, then I don’t know what is! Since before I can remember, I have always been intrigued by the paranormal and learning about the haunted histories of houses and locations. When I was young, a group of my cousins and I would sit downstairs in my grandmother’s creepy basement. I mean, it was creepy. It was an old farmhouse with a stone foundation and floor, very little light and a creepy dark cold room. When I think about it, it really was something straight out of a horror movie. We would sit down there, tell each other ghost stories and try to scare each other. Then I would go home and read up on real hauntings and watch programs like Unsolved Mysteries, Goosebumps, Are you Afraid of the Dark and Ghost Writer. No wonder I slept with a million stuffed animals every night.
Even though I was scared, I still loved it. This passion for the paranormal only grew as I moved into my teenage years and then adulthood. I would watch paranormal investigation shows and have secret desires to learn how to become one so I could experience it all for myself. Yes, I do believe in the paranormal and that there is more to this world that meets the eye. I have walked into rooms of old farm houses and felt like I was being watched and not entirely alone. I have woken up suddenly in the night feeling like something was in my room watching over me. However, I am still too much of a chicken shit to really engage with whatever it is. Once I tried to use a Ouija board and lost my nerve. I am too much of a believer of what the consequences are when you mess with something you don’t truly understand.
However, I think that if I were to have been born during the 1840s to the 1920s when the Spiritualist movement was occurring, I would have been involved in some way shape of form. But once again, that is another topic for another blog post.
I can’t really explain why I feel the way I do about the paranormal and why I believe so strongly in it. However, this belief has influenced my horror movie watching experiences. I find myself drawn to films about haunted houses, paranormal incidents and ghostly encounters. These are the types of films that really get under my skin and give me that adrenaline of fear that I am looking for.I don’t always get that with the other sub-genres like slashers or creature feature films.
I am always seeking a good haunted house / ghostly encounter film so send me some suggestions!!
